


Skin on Skin

by Katrina_Viv



Series: Aziraphale/Crowley Chronicles [2]
Category: Good Omens (TV), Good Omens - Neil Gaiman & Terry Pratchett
Genre: 6000 Years of Slow Burn, Aromantic Aziraphale, Aromantic Crowley, Asexual Aziraphale (Good Omens), Asexual Crowley (Good Omens), Aziraphale is super awkward for a 6000-year-old supernatural being, Crowley's Plants (Good Omens), Cuddling & Snuggling, Domestic Fluff, Dubcon Undressing, Extreme Modesty, Fluff, Great Expectations (Charles Dickens), Ineffable Husbands (Good Omens), M/M, Monopoly (Board Game), Morning Cuddles, Queerplatonic Aziraphale/Crowley (Good Omens), Sharing Body Heat, Sharing a Bed, Shirtless Hugs, Sleepy Cuddles, Sushi, Tea, Wine, singin' in the rain - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-06-26
Updated: 2019-06-26
Packaged: 2020-05-19 22:13:38
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,268
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19364938
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Katrina_Viv/pseuds/Katrina_Viv
Summary: In which Crowley and Aziraphale spend a lovely day together, and Crowley tries to get Aziraphale to be a little less modest.





	Skin on Skin

Crowley nuzzled his face against the back of his sleeping “husband’s” shoulder. If he concentrated hard enough, he could savor the angel’s faint heavenly aura. It had taken Crowley a while to figure out what exactly he was sensing, but he now knew that the closest earthly sensual experience to compare it to was the scent of a lilac garden after a light rain.

Aziraphale had forbidden Crowley from referring to themselves as husbands, but Crowley thought of their relationship that way more and more as time went on. They still hadn’t officially moved in together, but Crowley held out hope that Aziraphale would change his mind about that someday. The bedroom’s curtains were drawn closed, but Crowley’s reptilian eyes had still sensed the sun slowly meandering its way up the horizon. But if he closed his eyes and snuggled close to his angel, he could pretend to be asleep for at least a few more minutes. There was no reason to wake up anyway. They could stay in bed all day for all he cared. Aziraphale would probably want to go see his precious books at some point, but Crowley hoped that they could have the weekend all to themselves, right in this flat. He’d show Aziraphale just how domestic their life could be.

Aziraphale awoke a few minutes later, as the curtains began to lose their battle against the rising sun. As a being of light, it made quite a lot of sense for him to rise with the sun. He rolled over to face Crowley, smiled, and embraced him with one arm. “Good morning,” Aziraphale said.

Crowley smiled back. It was still hard for him to say it out loud, but he loved Aziraphale so much. Until a few years ago, he hadn’t thought it was possible to love anything this much.

“So, what do you have planned for me today?” asked Aziraphale.

“First, I’m going to take a nice hot shower. You should try it too, angel.”

“Why? We’re angels; we don’t need to bathe!”

Crowley’s eyes grew wide. “Did you just call me an _angel_ , angel?”

"Uh--um--yes--I’m sorry--” Aziraphale stammered.

“It’s all right.” Crowley was technically a _fallen_ angel, after all. He had to admit that he had been getting less demon-like since he and Aziraphale had confessed their love for each other.

“Anyway, no, I would not like to take a shower right now. I just have such an...an _aversion_ to being unclothed.”

“Suit yourself! I think you’re missing out, though. I shower now and again for _fun_!”

“How is getting wet _fun_?”

“It’s not so much getting wet, it’s getting _warm_ and wet, and you just want to stay in there for hours and enjoy the warmth.”

Aziraphale still did not see the point, so after Crowley wandered off to shower, he changed into his everyday clothes. He never really wore anything else. Crowley would sometimes jokingly call his style such things as (from most positive to most negative) _vintage, outmoded, antiquated, archaic, obsolete, antediluvian_ (Aziraphale resented this one the most, as the Victorian era was _far_ from antediluvian), or most creatively, “a lot of old threads held together by miracles and Luddite fantasies.”

Not knowing how long a shower was supposed to take, he sat on the bed and opened up an old favorite book of his - _Great Expectations_ \- to read while he waited for Crowley to reappear.

Crowley eventually returned, wrapped in a towel and holding a comb. Aziraphale was startled to see his friend partially nude. Crowley sat down on the bed and started to slowly comb out his hair. “Want to help me out, angel?” he asked with a wink. “There’s nothing like slick wet hair after a shower.”

Intrigued, Aziraphale took the comb and dexterously maneuvered it through Crowley’s hair. After it was perfectly tangle-free and starting to dry, he parted and shaped it just as Crowley liked it. Then, on a whim, Aziraphale set the comb down on the bed and hugged Crowley from behind, his arms looping under Crowley’s and his hands resting on the demon’s chest near his collarbone. It was strangely exciting to touch his bare, perfect skin, which was delightfully warm. He nuzzled his face against Crowley’s cheek, almost but not quite kissing it.

Crowley smiled. It was only 9:00 in the morning, and look at how domestic they were already being!

“I’d do the same for you, angel,” he said softly. “I’ll comb your hair anytime, just ask.”

Slightly embarrassed, Aziraphale unwrapped his arms from his friend and moved back a few inches.

Crowley went to his closet and selected some of his favorite weekend clothes - a pair of black skinny jeans, and a soft button-down shirt the color of merlot. Aziraphale kept his eyes focused on his book.

“What book are you reading today?” Crowley asked after he was dressed.

“ _Great Expectations_!” exclaimed Aziraphale, holding the book up for Crowley to see. “It’s not even two hundred years old yet, but it’s one of my favorites.”

Crowley gently took the book from Aziraphale’s hands. Crowley didn’t read all that much, but perhaps he could get some book recommendations from Aziraphale.

Crowley started to read the first chapter out loud. “‘My father's family name being Pirrip, and my Christian name Philip, my infant tongue could make of both names nothing longer or more explicit than Pip. So, I called myself Pip, and came to be called Pip.’ What is this even supposed to mean?”

Aziraphale laughed softly. “Keep reading. I think you’ll like it better soon enough.”

Crowley turned the page. “Ah! Tombstones? Dead relatives? ‘Don't cut my throat, sir’? I might actually enjoy this.”

“Perhaps reading and discussing books together could be a new shared hobby of ours,” suggested Aziraphale.

“Perhaps, indeed.”

...

Crowley tended not to keep food in his flat, but, to Aziraphale’s delight, he had several kinds of tea in the kitchen. The angel selected a berry-flavored tea - not as elegant-sounding as an Earl Grey, but delicious in its own right. He carried his teacup and sipped from it as he followed Crowley to his large room full of plants. Crowley began to water and mist the plants as needed, describing each one as he did so.

“Of course, I have to like this one,” he said, pointing out a large cactus-like thing. “It’s called a snake plant. And over here” - he pointed to a bushier, leafier plant - “is a _rattlesnake_ plant. Over here, we have some Monstera, and some ferns. And this - _this_ \- is one of my most prized possessions - a marimo algae ball I found in Japan, now over a century old.”

Aziraphale admired the fuzzy green orb, which lived in a large bowl of water with some rocks along the bottom. “Perhaps you could get it some fish friends?”

“No, never really considered it. Plants are my thing. I like taking care of things that don’t move on their own.”

Next, they sat down to play a board game that Aziraphale had brought for them to try.

“It’s called Monopoly!” Aziraphale exclaimed as he opened the box and started to set everything up. “It’s quite popular with humans. There are quite a lot of rules, but I’ve read several books about the strategies for winning Monopoly. I’m happy to explain it all to you. I’m curious to see if I’ve learned enough strategy to win, even though I’ve never actually played the game before.”

Crowley had a different perspective. “It’s a fifty-fifty chance.”

After two and a half hours, Aziraphale conceded the game to Crowley. Luck had won out over strategy this time.

The two carried on with the rest of their Saturday plans, which included drinking wine in place of lunch (Crowley’s idea), watching the movie _Singin’ in the Rain_ (Aziraphale’s idea), going to the park to people-watch (Crowley’s idea), then going out for sushi (Aziraphale’s idea).

“Come on, try a bit of raw salmon!” insisted Aziraphale. Crowley gave into the angel’s demands and tried tiny bites of Aziraphale’s food, though he preferred nibbling on a spoonful of wasabi drizzled with rice vinegar.

As they walked home during the first hints of sunset, Crowley’s thoughts wandered to what they should do that night. He remembered Aziraphale’s extreme sense of modesty when they were discussing showers that morning. Crowley had never actually seen any of Aziraphale’s skin beyond his face, neck, and hands (and occasionally, his feet and ankles as he climbed into bed). During the day, the angel was always dressed in multiple layers of clothing, usually about a century out of date. Crowley didn’t exactly _want_ to see more of Aziraphale...he just wished Aziraphale was more comfortable undressing in front of him. They were “husbands,” after all. There was no need for any secrets. And being ethereal beings, they really didn’t have “private parts” anyway. For whatever reason, that was not deemed necessary at the moment of Creation.

Maybe tonight, he could get Aziraphale to loosen up a bit.

…

Soon, they were back in Crowley’s bedroom, lounging on the bed. Crowley lay back against a pile of pillows, wearing his trademark sunglasses as a way to block out the rest of the world. He folded his arms across his chest as he reflected on the day. He still liked the idea of Aziraphale moving in permanently someday, but he hadn’t realized how mentally tiring it would be to spend an entire Saturday together.

Aziraphale lay beside him in a similar pose, though clearly in a state of post-sushi bliss.

After about half an hour of silence, Aziraphale sat up straighter and removed his bow tie, which made him feel a little more weekend-like, whatever that meant.

Crowley saw an opportunity to get Aziraphale more comfortable. He took off his sunglasses, moved to sit on the edge of the bed, and motioned for Aziraphale to sit beside him.

“Come on, angel, let me help you get undressed,” he said. He slid Aziraphale’s jacket off his shoulders, carefully smoothed it, and set it aside out of the way. Aziraphale then unbuttoned and removed his own vest. This was all fine so far...Crowley had seen him like this before, and Aziraphale was enjoying the attention.

Crowley then reached out and started to slowly unbutton Aziraphale’s shirt. Aziraphale became visibly anxious about this.

“Is there something wrong?” Crowley asked. “Or can we just try to have an intimate moment here?”

“No, nothing’s actually wrong,” Aziraphale said. “I am just _really_ not used to this, and I’m not sure why you are doing it!”

“Maybe I don’t have a great explanation why,” said Crowley, “But I want to do it anyway. I just want to be closer to you, I think.”

“Also, I--I--” Aziraphale wasn’t quite sure how to word this. “I think you probably look much better than I do unclothed.”

“Angel, I don’t care about that!” replied Crowley reassuringly. “You are _entirely_ beautiful, inside and out.”

Crowley watched hints of apprehension, embarrassment, and curiosity appear on his friend’s face as he continued to slowly undo each button. Once the shirt was all the way open, he gently pulled it to the sides to expose more of Aziraphale’s chest. Crowley still wasn’t really looking at anything besides Aziraphale’s face. He knew that the angel was concerned about his appearance, so Crowley didn’t want to scare him any further by paying any attention to the rest of his body.

 _“What are you doing?”_ whispered Aziraphale. “There is no point to this.”

“Remember how you hugged me from behind this morning? Well, I think this will be just as good.”

Crowley then suggestively unbuttoned the top button on his own shirt. “Your turn?” he asked Aziraphale, hoping the angel would reciprocate.

Aziraphale was scandalized by this. “No Crowley, that’s too awkward for me.”

Crowley continued to slowly unbutton his own shirt, gazing into the angel’s eyes the whole time, and then gave Aziraphale a tight hug so that their bare chests were touching.

“Oh...oh! I think I get it now,” whispered Aziraphale. Crowley felt so warm, and somehow even more perfect, without any fabric in the way. And was it his imagination, or did Crowley smell a bit like a pleasant bonfire?

“You don’t have to undress any more for me, angel,” said Crowley softly, “but I hope this was worth it for you. It’s definitely worth it to me.”

Aziraphale didn’t answer. He just closed his eyes and held tight to Crowley as they breathed in sync. _It’s worth it,_ he thought. In spite of the awkwardness he still felt, he kind of wished this moment could last forever.

But eventually, it was time to actually go to bed. After letting go of Crowley, Aziraphale quickly slipped out of the room to change into his pajamas. Crowley stayed in the bedroom and did the same, before slipping under the covers into the coolness of his dark gray sheets.

Then he heard Aziraphale call out to him from the hallway. “Crowley - can you close your eyes? I have a surprise for you.”

Crowley closed his eyes, then stuck his head under a pillow for good measure. “Come on in, angel.”

Crowley felt Aziraphale get into bed next to him, then felt the angel’s hand gently touch his shoulder. He rolled over to face the angel, and saw that he had no shirt on at all! Crowley smiled, proud of his partner for being so vulnerable and trusting. He quickly slipped off his own pajama shirt and tossed it aside so that they could feel each other’s warmth all night.


End file.
